


The One With All the Candles

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2017 [12]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Post Regeneration, questioning changes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 11:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13007211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: The Doctor's regeneration is a bit more radical than usual; Rose needs a moment to adjust, making the Doctor worry about their relationship.





	The One With All the Candles

**Author's Note:**

> Day 12 of 31 Days of Ficmas!
> 
> A note: this is about Rose coming to terms with 13′s regeneration into a woman. Throughout, there are questions and confusion about things like pronouns and semantics. Obviously this is a hot-button issue, especially given that we’ve never heard Jodie’s Doctor refer to themself. As two lovelies will tell you, I’ve been fretting about this since last night, and basically - I tried to be as respectful and considerate of the issue as I could, while still raising what I consider to be valid questions (though I don’t try to answer them).

“I’m just so mad,” Rose burst out, looking up from her tea.  “How could he think that?  I mean, really!  Do you know we’ve been married a thousand years?  Literally a thousand!  Not an exaggeration, an actual count!  Well, it’s a bit more than that honestly, but the point stands!  After a thousand years, he thinks- gah!”

“I know, dear, he’s an idiot,” Sarah Jane patted her hand kindly.  “This can’t be a surprise.”

Rose sighed.  “Look, I admit it threw me a little – but this is a major change.  I just needed some time to wrap my head around it.  I’m not rejecting him, I just – I needed to process, you know?  But Mr. Overreaction dumps me here and runs off!  Bloody idiot.”

“How do you really feel about it?  Honestly.”

“I’m getting used to the idea.  And he’s gorgeous, but still – it’s the Doctor.  At the end of the day, that’s my husband, my soulmate.  I accept everything about him.  Some things just take a little to wrap your mind around.  Like last time, those eyebrows?  After him not having any for centuries?  That was weird.  Two hours to process something like this is not unreasonable.”

“It’s a big difference,” Sarah Jane agreed, “and I think you’re taking it well.  But you know him, for as smart as he is he’s a bit thick.”

“Yeah,” Rose sighed again.  “My biggest – whatever – is just… how much does this change?  I mean, linguistically.  Do I still call him my husband?  Or even call him ‘he’?  Are we going to have problems when we visit the past?”  She glanced up at her friend, blushing as she admitted, “I’ve never been with a woman before.”

“Well, I’m definitely not commenting on what happens in your bedroom.  But as for all of it, I would just say – talk to the Doctor.  Let, er, them tell you want they want.  This is a change of the physical appearance, not of the person inside.  You have to work it out between you.  Remember, this is as much a change for him – her – the Doctor as it is for you.  You’ll figure it out.”

Rose banged her head against Sarah Jane’s kitchen table.  “If I tell you something swear you’ll never tell?”

“Promise,” Sarah Jane hid her smile behind her tea mug.

“The part I hate the most is he’s – she? – is so much prettier than I am.”

The ostensibly older woman burst into laughter, smiling over Rose’s shoulder as the Doctor walked in.  “Hi, there.”

“Hello, Sarah,” the Doctor replied, coming to stand by Rose.  “Hello, love.”

“Hi,” Rose tilted her head up, automatically accepting her husband’s kiss.  It was their first since he regenerated so the Doctor kept his touch light, pulling back far sooner than normal.  He was surprised when Rose pulled him back in for a deeper kiss.

“Hi,” he repeated, and Rose’s eyes fluttered open.

“Your lips are… really soft,” she breathed, biting her bottom lip.

“That all right?”

“Oh, yeah,” she smiled up at him.  “We’re gonna be just fine.”

“Good,” the Doctor sighed in relief.  “Well, I hate to pull you away from Sarah, but I was hoping we might talk?”

Rose nodded, captivated by the way she could see her husband’s thoughts and feelings on his face, as well as across the bond.

After giving Sarah a quick hug goodbye, the couple strolled hand in hand to the TARDIS.

“I’m sorry I left you here and ran away,” the Doctor muttered as they neared the doors.

“S’all right.  I know this is a big change for both of us – talking to Sarah Jane helped, a bit.  I just had to work it out for myself.”

“And how do you feel?”  The Time Lord’s anxious eyes peered into Rose’s, at the same height for the first time in their relationship.

“It’s different,” she admitted freely, “but it’s still you, and I’m still me.  And I love you, no matter what the casing looks like, remember?”

“Good,” the Doctor smiled for the first time, and the sight took Rose’s breath away.

“Bloody hell, you’re gorgeous,” she muttered, making her spouse laugh freely.

“As are you, my love.”

“Are we good?”  Rose abruptly sobered.  “Because this doesn’t change my feelings for you, not really.  It’s just a matter of updating my perspective is all.”

“We’re good,” the Doctor confirmed, leading Rose into the ship and through the console room.  “But, I still want to talk to you.”

“Sure,” she smiled.  “Library?”

“Bedroom, if that’s all right.”

“Course,” Rose agreed easily, walking through the doorway first only to stop dead.

There must have been a thousand candles filling the space, set on every possible surface including the floor.

“What?”  She gasped, spinning to face the Doctor.

“Go on,” he encouraged, nudging her inside.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, moving to what appeared to be a clearing on the floor.

The Doctor joined her, guiding her to a specific spot before standing in front of her, uncharacteristically nervous.  Well, uncharacteristically for his last regeneration – Rose had no idea what would be their new normal, but found she was excited to find out.

“Rose,” he began, fidgeting nervously as he took her hands in his own, “I love you.  I’ve loved you almost since the moment I took your hand and told you to run.  We’ve been running ever since, and it’s been the most incredible, wonderful, amazing millennia of my lives.”

He paused, and Rose rushed to speak.  “Mine too.”

The Doctor smiled widely, that same wide grin that sent a spark of desire through Rose’s body.  “Brilliant.  And like I said, I know this has been a lot of – of change, and things may be different going forward, and we’ll have to adjust, but-” He had to take a moment to blink away his tears.  “But I want to figure this out with you.”

Stepping back slightly, he sank to one knee in front of her as Rose gasped, one hand flying up to cover her mouth.

“Rose Tyler, how long are you going to stay with me?”

“Forever,” she whispered, half laughing in disbelief.  She repeated the word, stronger this time, smiling widely.  The Doctor rose, and they stepped together into a tight hug.

Rose buried her face in the Doctor’s neck, trying to contain her giggles.

“What?”

She began to shake from the losing battle to keep them in.

“Rose, what?”

“It’s just so weird!”  She cried, looking up at him.  “We’re the same height, and you smell so nice, and I so did not expect to like the way our breasts smush together so much, and I can’t believe this is my life and I just love you so much!”

“I love you too,” the Doctor grinned at her rambling speech.  “Now you see why I always liked hugging you.”

“We’re gonna be okay,” she smiled.  “It’s gonna take time to figure this out, and what you want, but it’s gonna be okay.  More than, really.”

“Course it is,” the Doctor replied confidently.  “The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS.  That’s all we need – hang the rest.”

Rose kissed him, still smiling.

“You realize there’s a lot we’re going to have to decide on, right?”

He shrugged.  “We’ll figure it out.”

“Yes, we will.”

They kissed again, before Rose pulled back to look around.

“What’s with all the candles?  There’s like a thousand.”

“One thousand sixteen, actually.”

“Really?  A candle for every year we’ve been married?”

The Doctor grimaced.  “It started because I was watching FRIENDS while waiting for you, then kind of snowballed.”

“‘The One With the Proposal?’”

“What else?”

“Oh, Doctor.”


End file.
